MELANOMA AWARENESS PROJECT
and
MELANOMA FUNDRAISING
Melanoma Events for May, 2011
14th: Moonlight and Melanoma Walk of Hope, Location; St. Louis, MO; 5:30pm
14th: Miles for Melanoma: Bloomsbury EARLy Detection 5K Run/Walk; Bloomsbury, NJ; 9 am
14th: 9th Annual Doin' It for Deb - Deb Sandry 5K Memorial Walk for Melanoma Research; Rock Island, IL; 9am
19th: Collen DeMars Memorial Fundraiser; St. Paul, MN; 5:30-8:30pm
21st: Thomas W. Barner Memorial Barbecue; Loudonville, NY; 12:00-4:00pm
21st: Andrea Sheridan 5K Race and Family Fun Walk; Ocean City, NJ; 10am
22nd: Greg Maur Memorial Golf Tournament; Clayton, NY; 1pm
23rd: The Susan Fazio Foundation Golf Outing; Conshohocken, PA; 12:30 pm
Donations to Individuals participating in Melanoma Events
15th: Ashley Outhouse - Miles for Melanoma in the Rockford Marathon
28th: Penny and Mark Oldfather - Miles for Melanoma in the Park County 5K
29th: Ashley Outhouse - Miles for Melanoma in the Park 50K
WHAT ARE WE HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH?
- The goals of the Melanoma Awareness Project are to educate students and teachers about sun safety and protection, skin cancers, with an emphasis on early detection of melanoma. The project also aims to leave students with an interest in teaching their friends and loved ones about melanoma. In having medical students serve as educators, we hope to increase their awareness of melanoma and eventually enhance early detection by physicians across medical specialties.
- Miles for Melanoma Program is aimed at raising money for the Melanoma Research Foundation (www.melanoma.org) through the Miles for Melanoma Program and other fundraising events. There is still much that is not understood about this disease that it is necessary to provide researchers with the means to not just find treatments, but cures, for melanoma.
WHY IS MELANOMA SO IMPORTANT?
- Despite being easily detectable and 95-100% curable if treated early, melanoma is still the most dangerous form of skin cancer. In fact, it kills one person every hour in the U.S! Its incidence is currently increasing by 2.5% annually, faster than any other preventable cancer!
- Melanoma affects a wide range of age groups, often occurring in teens. It is the most prevalent cancer type in women of the 20-29 age group and the number one cancer killer in women aged 25-29.
- Melanoma has probably touched someone in your life!
WHAT HAS THE MELANOMA AWARENESS PROJECT DONE SO FAR?
- The melanoma awareness project was initiated in 2003 by the University of California, Irvine (UCI) DIG in memory of Joel Myres, a UCI medical student who died of melanoma in 2001. To date, the program has educated over 4,000 students at 6 middle and high schools in Orange County, and over 800 students in Texas.
- Medical schools that are already participating or preparing to participate in the program include Duke; Loma Linda University; Medical College of Wisconsin; New Mexico University; University of California, Irvine; University of Texas, Southwestern; and Vanderbilt University among others.
SOUNDS GREAT… HOW DO I GET THE MELANOMA AWARENESS PROJECT STARTED?
- The materials and script (Powerpoint Presentation and Word script) to present the program are attached below.
- DIGA chapters can send letters to local middle and high schools explaining the need for skin cancer education in this age group and volunteering to send medical students to teach the middle and high school students.
- Once principals and teachers agree to have medical students come teach about skin cancer in their classrooms, medical students are recruited and trained to go out and teach the interactive 50-minute curriculum.
- After the teaching is completed, students are invited to participate in the Melanoma Awareness Project Poster contest, where artists of winning posters are awarded prizes and the children’s posters, with their permission, are replicated and posted throughout the community. This gives the students a sense of ownership in their role of increasing melanoma awareness.
- After the event, a report should be sent to the melanoma chairs, see emails below. This report should include the number of students taught, the name of the school, the names of the medical student participants, and photographs.
HOW CAN I RAISE MONEY FOR MELANOMA RESEARCH?
- MILES FOR MELANOMA
The Miles for Melanoma program began in 2002 when Steve Farrell, a melanoma survivor and marathoner, asked friends and family members to support him in running the New York City Marathon. He raised almost $15,000 for the Melanoma Research Foundation. With a successful marathon behind him and tremendous success in raising funds for melanoma research, he began working with the MRF to start Miles for Melanoma teams, events and programs nationwide. You too can follow in Steve’s “footsteps” by participating in any sporting event of your choice; marathon, triathlon, century bike ride, etc, and asking people to make donations on your behalf. Contact volunteer@melanoma.org to learn more about getting involved in the Miles for Melanoma program. They will provide more details including training, tracking your funds, and promoting your cause.
- SUPPORT A MELANOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION OFFICIAL EVENT NEAR YOU!
Community members touched by the impact of melanoma are organizing events throughout the country: benefit dinners, golf tournaments, bake sales, etc. Gather up your DIGA chapter members and volunteer for the event, fundraise, and help educate the community about melanoma
- START YOUR OWN EVENT
Do you want to start your own 5K? Bake sale? Gala? Letter writing campaign? See the Fundraising 101 sheet for ideas
WHAT IS NEW ABOUT THIS YEAR’S FUNDRAISING?
- To reward you all for your hard work, we are generating incentives to the chapter(s) who raises the most money for the Melanoma Research Foundation this year. Already, we have DermLite dermoscopes and dermatology textbooks. Stay tuned… We will be adding more incentives to this list as the year progresses.
HOW DO I TRACK HOW MUCH MONEY I’M RAISING?
- The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) works with FirstGiving to organize fundraising events online. FirstGiving is a secure, online service that has processed more than $400,000 in donations already for this foundation. With FirstGiving’s resources and tools, you can easily and quickly create your own personal fundraising page that allows you to. Set a fundraising goal and track your progress toward achieving that goal
- To get started, visit http://www.firstgiving.com/melanoma and click on GET STARTED. Once you set up your fundraising page, email everyone you know - family, friends, neighbors, business associates, etc. - and ask them to go to your page and make a donation.
GOOD LUCK AND PLEASE EMAIL THE MELANOMA CHAIRS WITH ANY QUESTIONS!
Mayha Patel (mayha.patel@derminterest.org)
HELPFUL LINKS
Melanoma Research Foundation
The Skin Cancer Foundation
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health